


Beneath The Pines Companion Fic: Duscan Worldbuilding

by InkyWandmaker



Series: Beneath The Pines [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cultural Practices, Deities, Duscur, Glossary of Terms, Pre-Tragedy of Duscur (Fire Emblem), mentions of racism and attempted genocide because it’s Duscur, pantheon of deities, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:41:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27749932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkyWandmaker/pseuds/InkyWandmaker
Summary: A collection of my thoughts on what the underdeveloped culture of Duscur might look like. Meant as a companion piece to my fic but can also be consumed alone.
Series: Beneath The Pines [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2029900
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	Beneath The Pines Companion Fic: Duscan Worldbuilding

There are many different cultural milestones in a Duscan man or woman’s life. The first major ceremony is when a child chooses a patron deity. The ceremony takes place when the children are entering adolescence (6 moons after they turn 12). Once child chooses a patron deity, a unique earring is crafted- a one of a kind symbol of their soul’s connection to said deity. This earring is meant to never be removed/leave the person’s body during life and upon death should only be collected by the family/loved ones of the person for safe keeping. 

Because the earring represents the soul, it is deeply distressing if the earring is stolen or lost. Unfortunately, during the Tragedy of Duscur, some soldiers began the disgusting practice of taking the ornate gold earrings as trophies of their kills and displaying them proudly. As news of such barbaric actions spread among the survivors, many took to wearing their earring under their clothes in battle to hopefully prevent theft.

The next step up in Duscan culture was to be tattooed with a prayer in the symbol of your chosen god or goddess when you became an adult. There was no strict age for this ceremony like there was for the piercing- the tattooing could take place as early as 18 years old or as late as 24, it depended on several factors. A young man or woman was considered an adult when they either 1. Had acted as an adult for 6 years straight- providing for themselves and contributing to society independently- or 2. Turned 24.

After entering adulthood there were a few more milestones marked by ceremonial bestowals of jewelry or other items. If and when someone got married, the couple would exchange rings- a tradition found in every culture in Fódlan and the surrounding countries. In Duscur, these gold bands were almost always engraved but seldom had any gemstones and they would be worn for the rest of the couples’ lives together- separation only occurring upon death or a deep betrayal of trust (ex infidelity or abuse). 

When a couple had a child together, it was expected that another piercing would be added above each parent’s deity earring- another earring being added for each child born and, unlike in the case of the end of a marriage, they were meant to never be removed even in the heartbreaking case of loosing a child to Mors (the god of death). If the person becomes a grandparent, a earring for each grandchild is added on the ear opposite the deity earring. These, likewise, are also never removed even in death.

The highest rank in Duscan society- their leaders- were called Alders. A man or woman became an Alder once they were considered by their community to be older and wiser than most. An alder’s duties mostly consisted of providing advice and passing down the stories, history, and religion of their people to the younger generation. When a decision that would effect the whole community needed to be made- like whether they needed to ration food or adjust trading policies- the alders would be consulted and most times the community would follow their advice.

Other Duscan traditions are:

The gifting of a long, thick, woven blanket to a baby from their extended family (often a grandmother or grandfather but occasionally another extended family member like an aunt). This blanket is intended to keep them warm and safe as babies and is often used by the mother as a sling to keep them close until they can walk. After the baby becomes a child, they keep the blanket for as long as it lasts- usually into adulthood and even beyond. Many choose to use their blanket as either a shawl or other outerwear as adults. Dedue uses the blue and red patterned blanket woven for him by his grandmother as a scarf during the timeskip and occasionally will wear it informally as a waist sash.

Naming a child after a family member- deceased or otherwise- is a great honor. Doing so insures that the child will be spiritually connected with, protected, and watched over by their namesake.

Body piercings for various reasons- both personal and ceremonial- were less common but not without their significance. While not a hard rule, certain piercings often meant something to their wearer- whether it was an occupation or a demonstration of love or intimacy with another, every body modification in Duscan culture was meaningful.   
For example:

\- A septum piercing often meant the person was a trained warrior or had served in the military at some point.

\- A nose ring might be used to signify someone was a “journey man” or someone who had traveled outside of Duscur for the purposes of trade or education. Prior to The Tragedy Dedue had wanted to do this upon becoming an adult.

\- A lip ring- especially one in the center of the bottom lip- signifies someone was a professional orator. Usually this person was a priest or priestess of their god or goddess, a historian, or some other profession requiring speech (like a teacher). Dedue’s mother had a lip ring as she was a priestess for the earth goddess Terria.

\- other less common piercings, while not having a culturally attached meaning, still has a personal one. Whether they were gotten for cosmetic reasons or for a more intimate reason, there was never a body modification received on a whim. A common reason for body piercings like a bellybutton ring or nipple piercings were for the pleasure of a spouse or lover. These were much newer traditions had been brought in to Duscur from journeymen who had spent time in Sreng and had yet to be widely excepted.

—:—

Major Duscan Deities:

Sol, Goddess of the Sun and Life  
Mors, God of the Moon and Death

Belumnas, God of War, Masculinity, and Fatherhood  
Amare, Goddess of Love, Femininity, and Motherhood

Children of Sol and Mors: 

Terria, Goddess of the Earth and Fertility  
Caelum, God of the Sky and Weather  
Aquara, Goddess of the Water and Healing  
Agni, God of Fire and Industry

—:—

Children of Belumnas and Amare:

Liberi- the genderless protector of children. They are the deity that Duscans pray to prior to choosing one of the major deities

Aetate- the genderless protector of the elderly. They are said to also be the giver of wisdom.

Children of Terria:

Venandi- Goddess of the Hunt  
Messis- Goddess of the Harvest

Children of Agni:

Partia- God of the Arts  
Iteria- God of Trade and Travel

Children of Aquara:

Piscis- Goddess of Fishing  
Natare- Goddess of Seafaring

Children of Caelum:

Tempestra- God of Rain and Storms  
Nixauris- God of Snow and Ice

The way worship/belief works in Duscan culture is the deity’s existence is directly tied to their believers and their power comes from their followers. For example, most if not all the people of Duscur believe in the God of Death- how could you not when you see people and animals and plants die- but not many people are devotees to Mors so he is not known for creating miracles. So when Dedue says things like “the gods are dead” he doesn’t mean that they no longer exist, just that because most of the people of Duscur are dead, the gods have lost so much power and faded from the mortal plane back into the astral plane, they can no longer directly interact with the world around them anymore.


End file.
